With the current situation, the environment is being put through a lot of strain and it's degrading at a faster rate than ever. In order to save the environment, business and individual processes need to be eco-friendly and go green. Going green involves using green solutions such as recycling, electric cars/fuel efficient cars and using solar power. Implementing these solutions can be costly at first but offer a greater payoff later.

Not to mention, with global economic uncertainty, saving is the order of the day. Less expenditure equals more profit. Many green solutions have tried and tested to help save money and the environment altogether. We have put together the following solutions to help both individuals and business to save money by going green.

Individual practices

Use green cleaning solutions

Cleaning solutions bought at the stores contain harmful chemicals and toxins that pollute the environment and they’re costly. Biodegradable solutions on the other hands are friendly to the environment and cost cheaply or nothing at all. One can make DIY cleaning solutions using biodegradable products such as baking soda, lemon juice, vinegar and other simple homemade products. A combination of formulas of these products can result in various cleaning solutions for different purposes.

Also, instead of using paper towels to cleaning up messes around the house, one can use a dedicated cotton towel that is washable, this not only saves the environment but also eliminates the cost of buying paper towels hence you end up saving.

Carpool

Many people enjoyowing cars, it can provide a sense of pride, freedom and perhaps an improved social status.Yet, when you use your own vehicle, a lot of un-environment friendly things take place. These can include air pollution, a lot of energy consumption when in traffic jams and these amounts to costs. To be eco-friendly, and save money, gather a group of friends to use one car or public transportation when traveling from place to place.

When running errands, consider riding a bike. When using a car, ensure that the tire pressure is at the required level and maybe turn off the car when stuck in traffic. Restarting a car consumes less fuel than when the engine is on but the car isn’t moving.

Green your diet

You can reduce expenditures on food and stress on the environment by selectively choosing what you eat. This does not mean necessarily eating less. Instead of buying processed foods, you can directly buy food from the producer. This lowers cost for processing and shipping, which in turn saves the environment by creating less pollution.

If you can’t reach producers directly, you can grow a small garden in your yard or patio. You might also consider an arrangement with a local who has a farm if you don’t believe you have a green thumb. Buying directly from the producers is less costly than going to the supermarket or grocery store.

Optimize water usage

Water usage has a major impact on the environment. This can include pumping machines which use energy and how water is used. The good news is you can reduce water bills by using water collection methods if you’re not in a city densely populated with buildings. This water can be cleaned and used for various house chores or even gardening.

For those living in locations where water harvesting is not applicable, using water aerators in sinks and low flow showerheads greatly reduce the flow of water without sacrificing pressure. In addition, when doing laundry or doing dishes, wait until they’re full to do them. This saves water, the energy used to pump, and greatly reduces water bills.

Business practices

Go paperless

Business can also go green and save money. Businesses can eliminate paper usage completely, or go green and opt for eco-friendly papers. Production of paper has a great negative impact on the environment. Other options for replacing paper include using services such as online faxing and google docs—these methods are also less costly. In fact, many of these services are free and storage of documents can be completed in a much more organized manner. Cloud services for storage also reduce costs for using office furniture, such as file cabinets.

Telecommute

Employees everyday struggle to reach their office destinations in order to work. These leads to usage of cars which in turn contribute to emissions and pollute the environment. Also, transportationcosts can impact business returns. A business can go green and avoid costs by implementing carpooling services, as well as, telecommuting.

By telecommuting, fewer employees will be required at the office and this promotes a reduction in both transportation and energy costs. Telecommuting tools such as skype, Google docs and Trello are all cost effective and efficient. Also, employees get to use their own utilities other than those at your place of business.

Recycle

This is the most common method for going green and saving money. Businesses can recycle papers, cartridges, and even packaging bags. This ensures non-biodegradable materials are not thrown out into the environment. Moreover, businesses can introduce a policy that enables recycling and reduction of waste while saving money.

Practices for both individuals and businesses

Optimize energy consumption

Both businesses and individuals can go green when it comes to energy consumption. Solar power can be harnessed and put to use for providing electricity and heating water. Furthermore, to avoid heat loss, insulation of pipes is necessary. This is a go green solution.

Power consumption devices such as computers, printers, and stereo (for individuals) can be optimized to consume less power or simply turn them off when not in use. As a result, this can be a great relief for energy bills. Smart devices such as thermostats for heating, and smart bulbs for lighting, can conserve energy since they switch off when not in use.

Energy efficient doors and windows are also money savers since they trap heat from escaping while deterring cold air from getting in.

While not every green solution will be practical for businesses and individuals, selecting the right ones will save a lot of money. Going green conserves our precious environment while reducing costs.